Schultute!

A Grade One classroom in Germany

I've spent six weeks of my life in the country of Germany.  I loved every minute of it!  During one of my visits I had the opportunity to tour an elementary school on it's first day of school.  That's when I first learned about the Schultute tradition.  The Schultute tradition began in the early 19th century and is still going strong.  First graders receive cones filled with candy and toys and school supplies from their families on the first day of school.  The students carry them to school and then parade them back home again.  The cones are not opened at school; they are opened at home after the first day in school has been completed...to help celebrate!  In Germany, this cone is a symbol for a new beginning and a celebration that a child's status is changing.  The first grader is officially a school student.   

Anette and I exploring Germany together

When I became a First Grade Teacher this past spring, I began thinking of ways to make it a special year for my students and me.  I love to learn about places around the globe and I want to share that passion with my students.  What better way than to give them their own Schultute cone on the first day of First Grade!  So, that's what I did.  I wrote up a note to go into the cones (along with other treasures) and got a couple friends to help me assemble them and it all came together.  

This is the note that went home with the cones on the first day.

These are the contents of a cone (only one book went in each cone)

These are the friends who came to help out!

All 21 completed Schultute cones!

The students decorated the paper themselves - imagining they were creating their own wrapping paper designs.  They didn't know about their German surprise!  Then while they were at Library and Gym, my friends and I took the papers off their desks, wrote their name in a prominent spot, configured the papers into cone shapes, filled them, put tissue paper on top, folded them over and taped them shut.  It was a whirlwind.

After freeplay I showed my students photos of myself in Germany.  They loved the castles and clock towers, the photo of me eating frankfurters in Frankfurt, and the plentiful red roofs.  Then I told them about Schultute cones.  They still didn't suspect a thing until I picked up one of their completed ones and read them the letter that went inside (as pictured above).  They were thrilled!  

Students were instructed not to open the cones until they got home.  They were to consider it a present to help celebrate their first day of First Grade.  They had to open their cone with a parent.  

As my students were leaving at the end of the day MANY of them remembered to thank me.  It was very sweet, "Thank you for the gift, Mrs. Sapp!"

It is my hope that this will help spark an interest in other cultures.  Over the next week or so we'll be learning little bits and pieces about Germany.  These are some things I'll be displaying and teaching:

We will compare our three countries on North America to the MANY countries in Europe.

We'll see Lederhosen from Germany (hooray for traditional clothing)

We'll learn about Janosch (a popular artist in Germany)

I'll tell them about Advent calendars from Germany.

I'll show them an old letter from one of my German friends (to a former student), chocolate wrappers, etc. 

We already began learning these phrases.  The students especially love the spitting sound in nacht!!!

Fun information I'll present...

Animals and Dogs...

Stories, Composers, and Einstein...

I am hoping to focus on European countries the first part of the year and then move onto some units on Japan, India, and countries in Africa.  One of my students has an aunt who teaches first grade in China...so China will probably be a country we learn about this year too!

My First Grade Classroom

First Grade, Here I Come!

Thursday is my first day of school as a First Grade Teacher.  This blog is a picture tour of my classroom.  Enjoy!

My classroom has 3 globes...

I love to have lots of opportunities for my students to search out places we are learning about. 

This photo shows some of my classroom library- specifically the nonfiction books (in the bins) and the uncategorized stories.  I love my big window too! 

Here's more of the classroom library including curriculum texts and stories put into bins by main character (such as Arthur or Amelia Bedelia) or author (such as Eric Carle).  The artwork beside the American flag is a copy of Picasso's Three Musicians.  I love having artwork in my classroom!

Final view of the classroom library.  More books in categories and the top two shelves are just for Mrs. Sapp to use.  They are divided into units and seasons and I bring them out as needed.  The TV is used for occasional educational videos and the ladder is a must for reaching high shelves or putting up posters.  

My CAFE board will be used throughout the year to talk about what makes an excellent reader and writer.  The two speakers connect to my computer when I place it on the table.  The computer hooks up to those cords and can be projected on the white board using a projector hanging from the ceiling. 

My white board and calendar and birthday poster and handwriting alphabet!  The pockets under the calendar are where my students choose lunch.  The baggies under the white board are for student headphones.  There's globe #3!  

Each classroom has a sink and drinking fountain.  There is a boys' pass and a girls' pass to the bathroom too.  They place the pass on their desk when they want to use the bathroom and that helps me keep track of who is out of the room.  Above the sink is a paper mache doggie from Mexico and a real taxidermied alligator and a vase of fake flowers from my bridal shower.  On the counter are bins for scissors, colored pencils, rulers, crayons, markers, etc.  Mailboxes are on the counter ready for students to grab their mail each day before they head home.  

The posters on this cupboard are purposeful.  They show kids having fun together.  There are kids of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and abilities - boys and girls both being active - important messages.  I change these posters out each month.   

On my desk I enjoy putting clippings and photographs of things that I think will interest my students....A man in traditional German clothing bicycling with a double bass on his shoulder, a grandpa and his granddaughter fishing together, children with their horses, a huge white poodle beside a little girl who is reading about dog grooming, a boy in overalls holding baby kittens, a bird feeder FULL of birds, a bulldog - Go Becker Bulldogs!, and a set of identical twins asleep on a swing.  You'd be amazed how often the kids want to talk about these photos.  They make them think and make connections.  I change these photos every month.  

Spider's webs...beautiful and mysterious and mathematical!

We'll be reading Charlotte's Web again this fall.  

Star of the Week!  Each week students get to learn about one of their classmates.  Kids bring in photos and things that are important to him or her and give a presentation to the class about what he/she brought.  I have here:  music, a piece of artwork I made as a child, a bookmark, a chocolate wrapper, yellow flowers, Strawberry Shortcake, photos of my family and friends, a favorite book, movie, animal and CD and a copy of the magazine I was on the cover of as a seventh grade violinist.  The items sit on an old fashioned desk that fascinate the students.  

This is my guided reading table.  Students sit around this table and we read leveled books together and discuss them.  There are spots for six, but sometimes we pull up chairs to add more kids.  The drawers behind me will be full of leveled books soon.  The Focus Wall changes each week - coordinating with our lessons in Language Arts.  

Sit Spots are something new this year!  Kids sit on a circle during story time in the back of the room.  There is my easel and story chair.  We'll be learning about Germany the first week of school, so I have some maps out to help with that. 

My beloved giraffe collection is growing!  The colored bins are numbered - one for each student.  They hold a student i-pad, student library books, student leveled books, and books from my classroom library.  Our workbooks are piled up on the counter ready for worktime.  And, the blue cloth is hiding my storage under the counter!

On my desk I have a collage of photos I made about three years ago.  So fun to see these smiling faces looking back at me from my desk.  

Another part of my desk...photos of loved ones, Willow Tree art, and my reminder that God is holding me in the palm of His hand.  All I need to do is rest in Him.  

Another angle of my desk area.  I think I'm husband-crazy... photos of him all over the place!  I'm so thankful for his encouragement and love!

Artwork above my desk.  I love this piece!

Strawberry Shortcake is the perfect lanyard holder!  I love having enough lanyards that one always matches or enhances my outfit for the day.  The students notice the variety too.  

A view of my desk area.  The white rectangular object is my sound system.  I'm so thankful to have a microphone and speaker to help project my voice.  It helps me have less vocal fatigue.  

Tables this year!  I'm excited to try this new thing - no more desks for me!

Another angle of the room... and of the tables.

My Bulldog Best chart and Long and Short Vowel posters.

This is a piece of art that hung on my wall as I was growing up.  

It is playful and peaceful and creative. 

Here is a close-up view of Picasso's Three Musicians.  I love it!

Happy characters encouraging students to use number grids as a tool.

My chart cart full of math manipulatives and magnetic letters.

A close-up view of some of my classroom library categories.  

Each month I put featured books of the month in this bookcase.  Students can read these too, but must remember where they got them from.  September is all about Back To School!  October is fall-themed and November has a plethora of books about being thankful.  Hooray for books!  

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my classroom.  

Ready or not, here we go!